Bullet Points
Security Misconceptions

If there any topics you would like to see discussed in the future or if you have any comments, please contact me at JoeT@HighCaliber.com

• Restoring Accelerator Keys in XP

  If you just started using Windows XP, you may have found that a feature you got used to using in Windows 95/98 is gone: Those underlined letters in menus that you could use to quickly select an option by pressing + [ the underlined letter ] To restore this feature in XP:

  1. Right click the desktop
  2. Select Properties
  3. Click the Appearance tab
  4. Click the Effects button
  5. Remove the check from Hide Underlined Letters for Keyboard Navigation Until I Press the Alt Key.

   

• Opening Links in New Browser Windows

  A quick way to open a link in Internet Explorer in a new window is to hold down the Shift key on the keyboard and then click on the link. You can also right click on the link and click the Open in New Window command.

   

• Saving Windows Explorer Settings in XP

  I find it annoying when I've configured Windows Explorer just the way I like it and then later find that all my changes have been lost. Things like the status bar and the detail view just seem to disappear after you close Windows Explorer. To fix this:

  1. Right click on the Start button
  2. Click on Explore.
  3. Configure Explorer the way you like it. Set the Details view, the Status Bar and any other customizations you like.
  4. Click the Tools menu
  5. Click Folder Options
  6. In the Folder Options dialog box, click on the View tab.
  7. In the Folder views frame, click the Apply to All Folders button. You'll see an information dialog box telling you that the changes will take place the next time you open a folder.
  8. Click Yes.
  9. Click OK in the Folder Options dialog box.

  Now all your settings are saved and you don't have to do them over again the next time you restart Windows.

   

• Checking Your Mail From the Web

  If you need to get at your email while on the road, try this site:
  http://www.mail2web.com/

  It is easy to use, has a nice clean interface and will let you get at your mail without having to configure Outlook, etc. This is especially handy if you are traveling and/or you want to check your email from a computer other than your own.

   

• Refreshing the Internet Explorer Cache

  You can very quickly clear your temporary Internet file cache and re-load the web page you are currently viewing by pressing + .

   

• Opening Multiple Programs in XP

  What do you do when you want to open Word, Excel and Internet Explorer all at once? You click Start, then click All Programs, and go to the menu where the programs are, then click on the program. Then you click Start again and repeat, and then repeat again for each program. Here's a faster way: (In this example, we will open Notepad and the Calculator.)

  1. Click Start and point to All Programs.
  2. Hold down the Shift key
  3. Point to Accessories and click Notepad (make sure you keep that Shift key held down). Notepad opens.
  4. Click on Calculator. (Keep that Shift key down!) The calculator opens.

  Notice that the Start menu stays open. This allows you to open multiple programs a lot faster.

   

• Getting Back to Default Home Page

  You can go to your homepage by clicking on the "Home" button in the Internet Explorer toolbar. But here is a way to quickly get back to your homepage without taking your hands off the keyboard:

  1. Open Internet Explorer and visit a few web sites.
  2. Press and hold down the ALT key.
  3. With the ALT key held down, press the D key. You should notice that the address bar in the browser is highlighted.
  4. Release + .
  5. Type two periods (..) in the address bar and press ENTER.

  + <7> (7 on the numeric pad as long as numlock is off) takes you home too.

  Note that + takes you immediately to the address bar. You might find this useful in and of itself.

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Expecting fancy technology alone to solve security problems is just one of three dangerous misconceptions about digital security. Improving security means implementing appropriate policies, removing perverse incentives and managing risks, not just buying clever hardware and software. There are no quick fixes.

Security depends as much--if not more--on human cultural factors as it does on technology. Implementing security is a management as well as a technical problem. Technology is necessary, but not sufficient.

A second, related misperception is that security can be left to the specialists in the systems department. It cannot. It requires the co-operation and support of senior management. Deciding which assets need the most protection, and determining the appropriate balance between cost and risk, are strategic decisions that only senior management should make. Furthermore, security almost inevitably involves inconvenience. Without a clear signal from upstairs, users will tend to regard security measures as nuisances that prevent them from doing their jobs, and find ways to get around them.

Unfortunately, senior executives often find computer security too complex. "Fire they understand," one executive said, because they have direct personal experience with it and know that you have to buy insurance and install sensors and sprinklers. Data security is different. Senior executives do not understand the threats or the technologies. "It seems magical to them," he said. Worse, it's a moving target, making budgeting difficult.

A third common misperception concerns the nature of the threat. Even senior managers who are aware of the problem tend to worry about the wrong things, such as virus outbreaks and malicious hackers. They overlook the bigger problems associated with internal security, disgruntled ex-employees, network links to supposedly trustworthy customers and suppliers, theft of laptop and handheld computers and insecure wireless access points set up by employees. That is not surprising: viruses and hackers tend to get a lot of publicity, whereas internal security breaches are hushed up and the threats associated with new technologies are often overlooked. But it sets the wrong priorities.

A final, minor, misperception is that computer security is terribly boring. In fact, it turns out to be one of the more interesting aspects of the technology industry. The war stories told by security consultants and computer-crime specialists are far more riveting than discussion of the pros and cons of customer-relationship management systems. So there really is no excuse for avoiding the subject.

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